Juan Carlos Ramirez Phoenix, Arizona 6 p.m. April 1, 2020
Signs of change: My bedroom window shakes only occasionally
It is rush hour on the I-17 highway. People are making their way from their work back home to isolate themselves in their houses or apartments.
My room is the closest room in the house to the streets. Regularly, my room’s window shakes aggressively because of the roaring vehicles during rush hours.
It gets annoying when I try to take a nap, but I noticed that recently my window now only occasionally shakes.
I went outside my house to check the street to observe any noticeable differences.
As I look at the intersection of Cactus Road and 31st Avenue, I see a lot of cars coming from the inner city into the more suburban areas of Phoenix.
Something different today about the main street is that there are more people walking on the sidewalks. People are starting to walk the streets as a way to exercise.
Walking is not common in my neighborhood. Seeing people walking is different.
Since I live on the main street of Cactus Road, which is right next to the I-17 highway, there typically is a rush of cars going west and east.
Today, there were fewer cars. The city has not yet become a ghost town, but traffic has gone down.
I have lived in Phoenix my whole life—born and raised. It is my city, and I notice and eerie difference in the environment.
It is not a difference that is noticeable to the naked eye, but it is more of a sensation. A person who is a Phoenician can understand this sensation and can feel it start to change.
Something that probably plays a factor is the stay-at-home order declared by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey yesterday.
Maybe now I can take a nap without being awakened by my shaking window at rush hour.
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